Wire-strapping tool



Sept. 30, 1930. M. H. STRATTON w'mn-s'rxnrmc won ATTORNEYS Sept. 30, 1930. STRATTON wmgjsrurrma 1001, may". 22.1921

4 Sheds-Shoat 2 INVENTOR Y ATTORNEYS 50 The su Patented Septa30, 1930 UNITED PATENTIO'FFICE I M RK ronA'rEn, or new YORK, N.;Y., A oonroan'rron or DELAWARE maswmmanm "root" Application filed November 22, 192as ar-Ramses?) g This inventionrelates to. a wire strappingtool deslgned fortensiomng and fasten ng.

wire straps or the like around packages.

It has for an object to provide such'a device 5 that embodies Various improvements in' the form, construction-and arrangement of the 7 several parts, whereby its designed function is more rapidly and efliciently performed than with previous devices of this :nature, and

whereby strength, rigidity, and durability are attained toga high degree.

1 Another. object 1 consists in providing a r device of this'character which ismore readily V manufactured, assembled, disassembled and adjusted thanprevious devices. a l

the invention is -A"practical embodiment of representedin the accompanymgdrawings in which -1' Fig. 1,represents atop plan view of the Fig-2 represents a side elevation thereof,

-Fig. 3representsfa side elevationreverse v Fig. 4 represents a horizontalsection taken in the plane of the line IV-IV or Fig. 3 16 k.

taken in the; plane of the line IX-+IX of 40 3 looking in the direction ofthe arrows, Fig.10 represents aldetail side viewlof the crushing and cuttingelements,-parts being .2

removed'to sho w those lying beneath, Fig. 11 represents a andqj Fig. 12 representsa'horizont al section taken in the plane of theline XIL-XII ofFigLlli lookingin the direction ofthe arrows. 1 ject matter of this invention is; of

Fig, '8 represents a horizontalsection taken g cases:

detail vertical section of the means for adjusting the gripper arm,

V toapinl l jaw srna'rron,jor'nrnenwoon, new Jnnsmr, nssrenon r01 emrnoorr mean.

the same general nature as that disclosed United States-patent to W. N. Lurcott No. 1,616,912 dated .February8, 1927," and: it. is calculated to tension, fasten and 'sever wire straps of the'general kind described in the said patent, which straps have a coil at one" end andare fastenedor secured by passing the other end through the coil and then crushmg the latter, at; which last named operation 1 the free endof the-strap is also severed.

The-,toolhas a main body or frame which includes a base denoted generally by Land an uprising portion denoted generally; by '2. The various parts are operatively supported or carried bythe said frame. I 1 7 i One group of mechanism is designed to. grip the wirestrap at a point adjacent the coil end 1 in order to hold it during tensioning, crush-. ing and severing. Thisg'roup includes a pair or gripping-jaws, one of which consists of aplate 3 that is secured to the base by screws 4 as shown inFigs. 2 and'i. This plate 8has V serrations formed on both its sides,iwherebyit maybe-reversed in case-of wear.

The other jaw is marked 5 1nd depends from the protruding-end, of an arm 6'that is withtheframe of the device. The fa'ce of this jaw 5, designed to cooperatewith plateB, 1: 0 is pivoted at 8- also provided with serrations.

The inneriend'of the arm 6 e to another arm 9that is pivoted'at;10"onthe base 1. The said connection between eems .,6 and 9 ismadeiadjustable' bymeansof a'n' hexagonal nut. :11 (Figs. 11 and 12) which fits within a correspondingfopening "inthemounted "to slide in aweb 7 cast integrally i arm 6 andis eccentrically mounted onthe pivot 8", gwhich'latter consists or :aS GI'eWthal/j e is threaded into the eccentric nut 11 and'its 1 own nut 12. This adjustability provides'for compensating wear on the teeth of the jaws so as to insure a'firm' grip upon thewirein all I A coil spring 13 hasone end secured to the arm 9 and the other the arm 6in an 5 is notln operativerelation with the j aw or plate 3; It will be observed, by'reference surrounds-the pivot-1O and fixed in h e an h ftension 1 of this springl is su h as n m urge" outwarddirecti d so th ag it L .When the rod 20 to Fig. 3, that the pivot screw is threaded into a bearing pin 10* that has a driving fit in the base 1. This bearing pin receives the convolutions of the spring 13, which has three full turns around it, and the construction provides a very strong spring action and also tends to obviate breakage of the pivot screw Means is provided for moving the arm 6 so as to bring the said jaws into cooperative relation for grippng the wire 'strap adjacent the coil, as previously mentioned; and this means comprises a lever (see Figs. 6-and 7) that is pivotally mounted in bearings 16, 17 (Fig. 1) cast integral with the machine frame. The said lever has a nose 18 which is calculated to engage the end 19 (Fig. 8) of a rod that is mounted to slide in webs 21, 22, formed on the machine frame. The end 19 of the said rod has a laterally projectinglug 23 that has a curved face and slanted end designed to engage with the arm 9. As the lever 15 is swung to the right 6 and 7), its nose 18 engages the end 19 of rod 20 and moves the. same to the left, which movement causes the curved face of the lug 23 to engage the curved end of the arm 9 and move the latter rearwardly. against the tension of spring 13. This movement continues-until the slanting end of lug 23 enters a notch formed in arm 9 and abuts a corresponding face constituting one side of the said notch, as clearly shown in Fig. 8. In Fig. 6 the parts areshown before the lever 15 is swung tocause this operation, and in Figs. 7 and 8 the parts are shown after the movement has been completed. Thls results in a swinging of the arm 9 around its pivot and retraction of the arm 6 until the jaws 3 and-5 are in 00- operative relation for gripping the strap, which relation is indicated in Fig. 8. The end of the lug 23 engaging the corresponding face on the arm 9 will hold the parts in this position, until the rod 20 is moved in the oppo-' site direction, as will be hereinafterdescribed. is brought to the limit of this movement, its inoperative end abuts a stop 24 consisting of a web 011 the frame, thereby relieving a certain amountof wear and strain on the lug23 and arm 9.'

The slot in the web 7 in which the arm 6 slides is somewhat wider than the said arm and, during the sliding movement, the latter is yieldingly held at one side of said slot, as shown in Fig. 4, by a plunger 25 that is housed in the frame of the machine and backed by a spring 26 and adjusting nut 27. lows a slight lateral movement of the arm 6 while maintaining it substantially in the. de siredv position for effective operation.

\Vith. the parts in this position the wire strap A is firmly gripped at apoint adjacent its coil end, as indicated in Fig.2, and the nex step of tensioning the strap may proceed. In

order to accomplish this stepthe free end of i lever and ratchet.

. This alto make the hub of the ratchet the wire must be passed around the and inserted through the coiled end.

Before the free end of the strap is passed through the coil, it is led between guides 28, 29 (Fig. 1) that are pivoted on a screw 30 set into the frame. The arrangement of these guides is such as to provide a slight opening therebetween for reception of the strap. The free extremity of the latter, after traversing the coil, is led underneath a boss 31 that is cast integral with a face plate 32 whichis secured to the fr'ameby bolts 33 and nuts 34:. The said end is pulled into a hook 35 carried on the arm 6 above the jaw 5 and bent upwardly into engagement with projecting teeth 36 of a hub 37 that is rotatably mounted in the bearings 16 and 17; I

It should be said that, in practice, the strap will ordinarily be passed loosely around a package and its freeend inserted through the coil before any part is brought into engagement with thetool. The strap may then be moved sideways so as to cause the proper parts of the wire to lie between the jaws 3 and 5 and between the guides 28 and29, at which juncture the free end is bent upwardly through the hook 35 so as to be in line with the teeth 36. If the lever 15 is then swung so as to slide the arm 6 into gripping 'position, as previously described, themovement of the hook 35 carried by the said arm will automaticallypress the free end of the strap against the teeth 36, whereupon the same will enter between the said teeth upon rotation of the hub 37, as will hereinafter be described. In order to insure that the strap will be in the proper vertical position with respect to the jaws 3 and 5', a lug 38 is cast on the frame of the machine in such position as to overlie the strapand prevent it from rising above the jaws. i i

The tensioning of the strap is effected by the lever 15-after the jaws 3 and 5 are in gripping position, and this is accomplished bya pawl 39 which is pivoted on a bolt 10 that traverses the lever 15, which pawl is adapted for engz-igement with a ratchet 41 that is fixed by a key 42 (Fig. 5) to the hub 37, and which has its own hubentering the lever 15 so as package to constitute an immediate bearing for the latter and. permit relative rotary motion of the The'pawl is held in contact with the ratchet by an expansion spring 43 that enters a recess in the pawl and has one end fast to a pin 44 projecting from the lever 15. 3

The fact that the hub and ratchet are formed separately enables them to be hardened to different degrees. It is desirable quite hard in order to with stand wear, buta similar hardening of the ratchet would promote a tendency of its teeth to chip.

In order to prevent backward movement after it hasbee'n urged in one direction by the lever and pawl 39, a retaining pawl 45 (Fig. '2) is mounted on a screw j 46 set in the frame and urged into engagement with the ratchet'by'a spring47 that entei'sa recess in the pawl and has one tained, the bend of thestrap about the hook and its insertion betweenthe teeth-.36 preventing slippage during its, operation, which effect is also assisted by the roughening or millingof the outer sides of the teeth,' as

shown'in Fig. 1. The movement of the free end ofthe strap while-being tensioned is facilitated by a guide roller 49 (Fig. 1) that is mounted in the frame at the rear of the boss 31 After sufiicient tension hasheen attained, the lever '15 is allowed to rest in horizontal position-shown in Fig. 2.

and severing of the free end and this is accomplished by the mechanism which will now he described. p

A pair of crushing levers 50, 51, have their inner ends downwardly curved and keyed to a pair'of shafts 52, 53 (seeFig. These shaftsla're identical, and one of them, 53, to

gether withits mounting, is shown in] Fig.9. The lever51 is heres'hown ZtS fiXeCl to the shaft by key. The shaft 53 is journaled with a long and short bearing in fan integral portion of the frame, thelong bearingbeing adjacent the end to which lever 51 is secured in order to withstand the force exerted on the lever. The shaft has an intermediate eccen-' tric portion 54 that-islet into the: concave upper end of one of two identical thrust bars 56, 57.. (Fig. 10'.) The eccentric portionof the other shaft is marked 55 and is let into .thrustbar 57. I I

' Thelower ends of thesaid thrust bars are curved and set into'corresponding grooves formed in a crushing block 58, which latter is held'in engagement with the thrust bars by a retractilespring '59 that has one end 1 fast to the crushing block. and the other end fastto apinGO set in the frame. A spacing spring 61 is hung on the pin 60. and itsv free ends engage the "thrust bars 56, 57 111 order Ito normally urge them apart and holdthem steadily in their position. V g

The crushing block 58 has a cutter 62 fixed therein adapted to cooperate witha hole 63 formed in the anvil and base of the device,

and it will be noted that the base is relatively that supports the anvil with the main portion of the base.

The anvil proper (Fig. 9) consists of-aplate 64' of hardened material which hasa dovetailed portion 65 set into 2. correspondingly shaped groove in the base of the device.

The plate 64'is fastened in position by a 7 rivet, or the like, 66.

The levers ,50'and 51 are secured on the shafts 52, 53,, by nuts 67, 68, (Fig.3) and the 19 hubs of the said levers are fashioned in the i shape of gears '69, 7 O,.whichmesh with each other so that the levers move in unison and form, in effect, compound mechanism for actuating" the crushing block 58.

In order to determine the movement ofithe said levers 50, 51," they areprovided with lugs 71, 72,.in which are threaded adjustable screws 73,:74,which may be fixedrin desired position by lock nuts 75, .76.' The limit of the operativeswing of the said leversis determined when the headsof the said screws abut,

upwear onthe parts.

To operate the crushing or fasteningand securing means, the crushing levers 50 and which position is approximated in Fig.6. .It

is desirable to change this adjustment to take The strap is now in position for fastening,

and causes their eccentric portions, marked 54, 55, t0 actuatethe thrust bars 56,57, so as to depress the crushing block 58, and cutter .62 carried thereby. It will be understood that the coiled end of thestrap withthe free end traversing thesame lies in. the path of movement of the crushing block, and-that the free end of the strap where it leaves the" coil is held by the guides 28, 29, roller 49 and hook 35 in the line of movement of the cutter 62. The guides are so efiicient that the coil on the strap can be placed in the tool either side up and yet the correct portion of .the strap will be severed by the cutter. This is also facilitated by the tapering shape of the cutter, (see Figs. 9 and 10). -Tl1e correct positionof the coillongitudinally of the parts is insured by a pair of leads 32* which consist of lugs projecting downwardly from the face plate 32. By reference to Figs. 2

and 9, it will be seen that these are tapered in both :vertical and longitudinal planes, therebyprovidi'ng' a funnel-like guide for leading the coil to the desired correct position.

Downward movement of the crushing block serves to flatten the coil and corrugatethe free end of the strap lying therein, as set forthin the Lurcott patent above named, and also described in Lurcott patent No. 1,474,557 2 dated November 20, 1923, thereby fastening the strap in its tensioned condition about the. package. .This movement of the crushing block will also cause. the cutter 62 to sever the freeend of the strap at a point adjacent the coil, and the parts are so adjusted that this severing takes place just before the crushing action is entirely Completed but after it has been's'utliciently completed to lock the ends of the strap against slippage.

This movement of the crushing levers '50, 51, also brings about release of the jaws 3 and 5 so as to free them from engagement with the strap. This result is effected by a dog 77 (Figs. 1, 3, 6 and 7) whichis formed on the hub of lever 50 and is arranged to contact with an adjustable stop 78 carried on the slide rod 20. hen the dog 77 meets stop 78 it pushes the latter and hence slides the rod so as to move the lug out of engagement with the arm 9, and thus permit spring 13 to swing arm 9 and arm 6 into the inoperative position shown in Fig; 4. The stop 78 is adjusted in such position on shaft 20 that this release takes place just as the crushing operation is completed, and it is an important consideration that these opera tions shall be properly timed if the device is to operate satisfactorily, because too early release of the jaws 3 and 5 would permit insufiicient crushing of the strap if the operator were careless, while an adjustment of the stop 7 8 too far in the other direction would prevent any release of the said jaws by the movement of the crushing lever 50. It is highly desirable to obtain a uniform crushing and consequent fastening of the strap in every case and, with this thought in mind, the stop 78 is so constructed that it can be set by one in charge and not be readily reset by another operative. As shown in Fig. 4, the stop is formed of two parts held together by a screw 79 and nut 80. The said nut 80 is adapted to be engaged by a wrench of particular form, not available to an ordinary operative, and it is surrounded by a loose ring 81 which may be engaged by an ordinary spanner, or the like. Accordingly, any effort of an operative to change this adjustment would consist in his applying an ordinary spanner or the like to the ring 81, and turning the same, but this turning movement will be entirely ineffective because there is no fixed connection between the said ring and the nut 80 which locks the stop 78 on the rod 20.

As the lug 28 moves out of engagement with the arm 9, due to the actuation of the slide rod 20 by the crushing lever 50, the spring tension of the arm 9 will throw the said lug and rod rapidly to the right (Figs. 6, 7 and 8), and I provide a stop 82 secured to the frame by bolt 83, with which stop the end 19 of the rod 20 may contact for determining its movement. The provision of this stop relieves the strain on the parts and, if de sired, the stop may be made adjustable as, for instance, by a slotted engagement with the bolt 83.

It will be observed by reference to Figs.

1 and 3, that the crushing levers and 51, when in their position of rest, lie with their extremities considerably above the base of the device. This is an advantage because it prevents the said extremities from becoming entangled with the strap, and this limit of movement is fixed by a projection 8 1- on the hub of lever 51, with which projection the under side of lever 50 contacts, as indicated in Fig. 3.

lhe ends of the levers 15, 50 and 51 may be provided with suitable handles, as indicated in the drawings.

Inasmuch as the operation of the device has been described in connection with the description of the different groups of niechanism for accomplishing the several functions, it is not deemed necessary to repeat the same.

It will be understood that various changes may be resorted to in the form, construction and arrangement of the several parts without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention; and hence, I do not intend to be limited to the details herein shown and described, except as they may be included in the claims.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A device of the character described con'iprising, wire gripping mechanism normally urged in one direction, means for movin g the said mechanism in the opposite direction, and an adjustable connection for determining the point in its movement at which the gripping becomes effective.

2. A device of the character described comprisii'ig, wire gripping mechanism normally urged in one direction, means for moving the said mechanism in the opposite direction, and an adjustable connection for determining the point in its movement at which the gripping becomes effective, said connection including an angular nut eccentrically mounted.

3. A device of the character described comprising, wire gripping mechanism nor mally urged in one direction, means for moving the said mechanism in the opposite direction, and an adjustable connection for determinin the point in its movement at which the gripping becomes effective, said connection including a pivot and an angular nut eccentrically mounted on said pivot.

4. A device of the character described comprising, a crushing block, shafts designed to operate said block, and thrust bars directly engaging said shafts and said block.

5. A device of the character described comprising, a base, means for crushing and severing a strap, said means being adapted to cooperate with said base, and said base having a thickened portion in register with the severing means.

6. A device of the character described comprising, a base, means for crushing and severing a strap, and an anvil for cooperating with said means, said base having a thickened portion in register with the severing means and said anvil consisting ofa plate of hardenedmaterial having an undercut connection with the base.

7. A device of the character described comprising, means for crushing and severing a strap, a support for the strap during these operations, and a double guide located adjacent each end ofthe support for holding that portion of the strap to be severed in register with the severing means. i

8. A device of the character describe comprising, a frame, means for tensioning a strap, said means including a rotary element having teeth integral therewith, said teeth being provided with roughened surfaces.

9. A device of the character described com;

prising, means for gripping a strap, means for crushing a strap and means for severing a strap, mechanism for releasing the gripping means, and a device for predetermining the moment of release in order properly to synchronize said operations, said device beingadjustable and being arranged to conceal its means of adjustment.

10. A device of the character described gripping means, and a device for predeter mining the moment of release in order properly to synchronize said operations, said device having an element for adjusting it and i an apparent element for adjusting it which has no adjusting effect, V 11. A device of the character described comprising, means for gripping a strap,

means for crushing a strapand means for severing a strap, mechanism for releasing the gripping means, and a device for predeterminlng the moment of release in order properly to synchronize said operations, said device having'an element for adjusting it, said element having (an adjusting nut and a movablering surrounding thenut the movement of which ring has no effect.

comprising, means for gripping a strap, means for crushingv a strap, means for severing a strap, and mechanism for releasing the gripping means, said mechanism including a reciprocating rod provided with a fixed stop at one end and an adjustable stop at the other. f

18. A device of the character described comprising, means, for crushing and severing a strap, devices designed to operate said means, and adjustable stops carried by said devices and arranged to determine the limit of movement thereof by contact with each other. a 14. A device of the character described comprising, wire gripping mechanism, means 12.. A device of the character described for normally urging said mechanism in one dlrectlon, said means lncludlng a plvot, an

element movable around saidpivot, a bearing a 1n whichsald plvot is'mounte'd, and a 6011 1 movable around said pivot, a bearing pin in which the pivot is mounted, said bearing pin 7 being carried in the base of the'device, and a coil spring surrounding said bearing pin and having one end engaging the arm and the other end engaging the base.

16. A device of the-character described comprising, means for crushing a strap, and means for guiding the portion of the strap to be crushed so as to insure its correct positioning longitudinally of the crushing means. 17. A device of the character described comprising, means for crushing a strap, and means for guiding the portion of the strap to be crushed so as to insure its correct positioning longitudinally of the crushing means, said guiding means including tapered ele;

ments. i

18. A device of the character described comprising, means for crushing a strap, and

means for guiding the portion of thestrap to be crushed so as to insure its correct positioning longitudinally of the crushing means, said guiding means including elementseach tapered in a plurality of planes.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name this 21st day of November, 1927,

' MARK STRATTON,

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,776,868. Granted September 30, 1930, to

MARK H. STRATTON.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 5, line 59, claim 13, before the word "devices" insert the words a pair of cooperating; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same'may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 21st day of October, A. D. 1930.

M. J. Moore,

(Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

